The University of Central Florida was certified on Friday with the Seal of Excelencia along with 10 other institutions nationwide.
The announcement was made during a press conference in Washington, D.C., where UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright accepted the certification in person. Excelencia in Education, is the nation’s premier authority on efforts accelerating Latino student success in higher education.
“The Seal of Excelencia illustrates UCF’s longstanding commitment to student success and our efforts to intentionally serve Latina/o/x students.” President Cartwright said in a press release.
According to Excelencia, the 10 institutions earned Seal certification by demonstrating specific inclusive strategies, implementing programs with evidence of effectiveness, and registering results that showed they are intentionally serving Latino students among all of their students.
Dr. Cyndia Morales Muñiz, UCF’s director of Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Culture and Partnerships, said that the earning of the Seal of Excelencia was the result of years of effort to better serve Latinx students.
“It is such an honor for us to have been selected for the Seal of Excelencia certification. It was a rigorous application process that captured several years of our efforts as an institution to better serve our Latina/o/x students,” Dr. Morales Muñiz said.
UCF had to provide five years of data that demonstrate the university’s intentional support in different categories; enrollment number, retention, completion rates for Latinx students, representation models through leadership, and the financial support the university offers to its students.
“We want to intentionally serve our hispanic, Latino/a/x students in ways that resonate with them,” Dr. Morales Muñiz said. “That can be serving the students directly on their day to day experience, it can also be how we serve their families and how we support them, and also how we work with community organizations that support our Latino community.”
Through the CARES Act HEERF of 2020, HSI, for being a minority type institution, was eligible for additional funds that allowed UCF to provide more students with direct assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Excelencia began Seal Certification in 2019 as one of the organization’s transformational strategies to lead colleges and universities to go beyond simply enrolling Latino students. The Seal provides the means to use data and practice to instill intentionality in serving Latino students.
“We are proud that by creating the Seal of Excelencia, we have catalyzed a transformation in higher education,” Sarita Brown, Excelencia’s Co-founder and President said in a press release.
DirectConnect to UCF is one of the university’s investment to serve Latino students. If a student from a partnering state college earns an associate degree, they earn guaranteed admission to UCF. According to the university, since the program was launched in 2006, there has been a 433% increase in degrees earned by DirectConnect Latino students.
UCF is one of just ten institutions nationwide to earn the Seal of Excelencia this year, and one of just 24 institutions in total that have earned the certification.
“By investing in leadership programs and practices that support Latinx student success, we enhance the educational experiences and opportunities of all students,” President Cartwright said. “This has a powerful and lasting impact at UCF and for our community.”
In 2019, the U.S. Department of Education designated UCF as a Hispnaic Serving Institution. According to the university, Latino students make up 29% of UCF’s undergraduate student body.
According to Excelencia data, the Latino population in the United States is expected to increase by 25% by 2030. For the U.S. to regain top ranking in the world for college degree attainment, Latinos will need to earn 6.2 million degrees by 2030.
“We are going to continue to do what we have been doing over the past few years. We want to be the best HSI that we can be. We want to make sure that we continue to implement practices that strengthen access to opportunities and resources that help students at UCF.” Dr. Morales Muñiz said.
